How Paris public schools became no-go zones for Jews

Twenty-five years after he graduated from a public high school in the French capital, Stephane Tayar recalls favorably his time in one of the world's most thorough education systems.

As for many other French Jews his age, the state-subsidized upbringing has worked out well for Tayar, a 43-year-old communications and computers specialist. Eloquent but down to earth, he seems as comfortable discussing the complexities of French society as he is adept at fighting — curses, threats and all — for his motorcycle's place in the brutal traffic here.

"You learn to get along with all kinds of people – Muslims, Christians, poor, rich," Tayar said in recalling his school years. "You debate, you study, you get into fistfights. It's a pretty round education."